Estimates Transcripts

Twice each year, usually in May and November, the estimates of proposed annual expenditure of government departments and authorities are referred by the Senate to the relevant legislation committees for examination and report. At the estimates hearings, Senators may directly question Ministers and public officials not only about the details of proposed expenditure but also about the objectives, operations and efficiency of the programs for which they are responsible. Read more about estimates here.

Aged care

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert

Wednesday 21st October 2009, 12:00am

COMMUNITY AFFAIRS

Senator SIEWERT-Thank you, Chair. I want to go to a question I asked last time on the breakdown of the places that were made available and applied for for beds in the last round. I appreciate the answers that I received. You took the question on notice. I wonder if I could ask for a further breakdown of information on those places or just see if it is possible to get a breakdown by residential and community packages.

WA Care Awaiting Placement Program

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert

Wednesday 21st October 2009, 12:00am

COMMUNITY AFFAIRS

Senator SIEWERT-I want to go to the Care Awaiting Placement Program. If I remember rightly, there was extra funding committed to that program.

Ms Podesta-The care awaiting program is a state government program.

Mr Broadhead-The one you might be referring to is the Care Awaiting Placement Program in WA.

Senator SIEWERT-Yes.

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert

Wednesday 21st October 2009, 12:00am

COMMUNITY AFFAIRS

Senator SIEWERT-I appreciate that we have now been talking about the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement for some estimates. I am firstly seeking an update, which you may have already provided to Senator Cormann, around where negotiations are up to.

Ms Halton-We have already covered that.

Senator SIEWERT-I will chase that down. Did we cover the issues around the reviews that were supposed to be undertaken as part of the fourth agreement process?

FSANZ & GM in foods

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert

Wednesday 21st October 2009, 12:00am

COMMUNITY AFFAIRS

Senator SIEWERT-I would like to ask, firstly, about the presence of novel DNA and protein in highly processed oils. I know I have asked a series of questions several times around this issue. Since I last asked, have you done any testing of food oils in Australia for the presence of novel DNA and proteins-either yourselves or with other organisations?

Dr Brent-The answer is no, we do not do testing of novel DNA and protein. What we do is we get information from a variety of scientific sources in order to do our risk assessments before we amend the food standards code and approve a GM food.

Montara oil spill

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert

Wednesday 21st October 2009, 12:00am

ECONOMICS (also check out questions on the Montara oil spill asked on the 20th or 19th October)

Senator SIEWERT-I would like to talk about the Kimberley West Atlas oil spill. Could you confirm any inquiry that will be called under the recent changes to the legislation?

Mr Hartwell-As the minister announced, the legislation enabled him to appoint a commissioner to investigate incidents such as the West Atlas Montara oil spill. It was not necessarily confined to that. As he also indicated, the priority is to address the issues in relation to the spill, and when they are completed he will make an announcement in relation to the inquiry.

Montara oil spill

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert

Tuesday 20th October 2009, 12:00am

RURAL AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS AND TRANSPORT
(also check out questions on the Montara oil spill asked on the 19th or 21st October)

Senator SIEWERT-Can I go to the area of cost. Where you talk about where cost is shared, you said some of the cost is being reimbursed by the department. In what circumstances would the department or the broader Australian community have to pick up the cost of what you are doing on this spill?

Mr Peachey-Senator, I apologise for the way I phrased that. When I said ‘shared' I meant there are a number of agencies incurring costs. So we are not carrying the full burden of the costs, but there will come a time when those costs will be put to the company and they will be reimbursed. From the outset the company gave us an assurance and followed up with a very detailed assurance in writing that they would meet all of the costs, and so far so good. They have actually reimbursed everything that we have put to them.

World Heritage for Ningaloo

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert

Tuesday 20th October 2009, 12:00am

ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Senator SIEWERT—I want to ask about Ningaloo and the progress on the potential World Heritage listing of Ningaloo. The last time we discussed this, if I recall rightly, you were still discussing it with the Western Australian government. There were some negotiations over the various proposed boundaries. I am looking for an update about where we are with those negotiations and whether there has been any progress.

Mr Bailey—Yes, there certainly has, Senator. The minister has been conducting those discussions with the Western Australian Premier and the environment minister in Western Australia. They met earlier this month to continue that discussion. We believe that those discussions will be concluded and the nomination will still be submitted before the 1 February deadline in 2010.

Christmas Island mining & Pipistrelle Bat

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert

Tuesday 20th October 2009, 12:00am

ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Senator SIEWERT—I suppose you will find it hard to guess what I want to ask about: Christmas Island. First, I want to go to the issue of mining. I know I have to go to the other part of the portfolio, but I thought I would try you first. Where are you up to with the mining application?

Mr Cochrane—You will have to ask AWD, because we only provide inputs into that process and are not the decision maker.

National Reserve System

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert

Tuesday 20th October 2009, 12:00am

ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Senator SIEWERT—I am following up on questions that I asked yesterday in rural and regional. I know it is clumsy being across two estimates areas. It provides an opportunity to see if we can get a different answer! Firstly I would like to follow up on the NRS program because yesterday at rural and regional the department was unable to provide much information on the NRS program. Hopefully I now have where this fits in properly. How much has been allocated for NRS projects in the last round of funding, which is 2009-10?

Caring for our country

Estimates Transcripts | Spokesperson Rachel Siewert

Monday 19th October 2009, 12:00am

RURAL AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS AND TRANSPORT

Senator SIEWERT-I would like to go into some of the details of the latest allocation of funding for projects and then go into the forecast allocations for next year.

Dr O'Connell-This is Caring for our Country?

Senator SIEWERT-Caring for our Country, yes. Could you confirm or tell me, please, what the overall allocation of funding for Caring for our Country was this year, how much was allocated to regional groups overall, to the Great Barrier Reef, for the assessment of the project round that was released in early July and how many projects that funded?